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UNITEDF STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN B. BRAGUE AND WILLIAM S. STARR, `0F NEW YORK, N. Y. y Y

HAND-STAMP.

Speeilication forming` part of' Letters Patent No. 52,668, dated February 20, 1.866.

To all whom t't may concern Be it known that we, STEPHEN B. BRAGUE and W iLLrAM S. STARR, both of the city,

Y county, and State ot' New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Handr Y.of the bed-plate and the various parts situated '.ther'ein.

Similar letters ot postmarking, and similar purposes, by whicff. the necessity of using separate removable types for marking the day ot' thc month is dispensed with, and the types indicating the month and the year are easily detached and changed. These improvements consist in the employment of a rotating ring provided at its pe riphery with a series ot' types representing numbers from 1 to 3l, inclusive, and operating lin connection with stationary dies or types placed underneath the plunger and indicating the month ,and year, the arrangement heilig such that by turning the ring any desired number can be brought in conjunction with,

the said stationary types to designate the day of the month.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use our invention, wewill proceedto describe it with reference to the drawings.

' B Crepresent a frame like that of the handstamps 4in common use, and consisting of a bed or base plate, B,`in which the dies are sitl uated, and an arm, C, in the end lot' which is y the usual reciprocating plunger A. The-stem of the plunger passes through a vertical cir- 'cular hole in the said end, and-has a narrow groove, n., formed longitudinally in one side ot' it. The end of a stationary pin, o, enters this groove a and prevents the stein from turningurouml,and also keepsitfrom beingpushed upward out ot' place. At thetop of the plunger A is the usual knob D, and between the knob reference indicate'corre- '.sppnding. parts in bothv figures.

This invention relates to'certain improve'-, ments in theconstruction and operation of hand-stamps, such as are used for canceling,

and the arm C is a spiral spring, b, which en- -circles the upper part of the plunger and forces `lnatcrialft-o be stamped. rlhe lower end of the plunger' is faced with leather or similar soft lthe sides, so as to strike only upon the proper types or dies. 1

Formed, in the bed-plate B,im|nediately beneath'the plunger A, there is a cylindrical socket or cavity, c, in which is placed the an-a nularrdie o, upon and around the upper edge of which are a series of types representing any desired name, word, or number. Within this of these, m, vrepresents the month, and the i, .other, fn., the year r. .lhe annular dico has a deep notch at each' side to permit one side of the rotating ring r to pass through the same between the dies mand at., as shown more clearly in Fig, 2, the upper ends ot'l the type inthe rotating ring r being level with the surface ot' the stationary dies. llhe ring o is situated in a suitable annular channel or bearing in the number is anotch, The spring ois attached to the side of thebed-plate, and has its end 'v' curved inward, so thatit catches into these notches i to hold the ring o stationary during the operation ot' stamping.

In the bottom ot the s ocltet c is a hole, s, and by inserting' anailor similar object through this hole the types m and umay'be pusheo 'out ot' the annular die o, so that .their places may be filled by others representing a dit'erent date; At each end ot' the bed-plate B is a Atransverse slot or recess, w, in which is a small roller, Z,and extending frbui one ot"these-roll` ers, to the other is va ribbon, k, prepared with coloring-matter in the'us'ual manner.V This ribbon passes over and in contact with the dies or types under the plunger A. By turnturning the rollers backward.

it upward out ofcontact with the paper or other material, and is recessed or hollowed out at annular die o are two upright types, 1n n. OneY bed-plate B. Atits outer edge between each ing the rollers Z different portions of the rib- Such beingl the construction of the apparatus, it will be seen that by pulling `the end-of the spring 'v outof the notclri by means of' the small knob v' the ring c may be turned around until any desired 'number thereon is.

brought between the types m. and u to indicate the day of the month.

The papervor other substance which it', is desired to stamp is placed upon the ribbon between the diesund the plunger, and a smart. Y blow is given with the-hand upon the knobV 'D,-which drives the plunger down upon the paper. The prepared inked ribbon, being thus forcibly compressed between the types and the paper, parts with a portion of its ink :1nd-

-thus prints the letters and iignres upon the paper. When the knob D is released from the pressure the spring bcauses the plunger A to rise to its original position, and the paper is removed. l f

' Having thus described our said invention, we will proceed to statewhat we claim vas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

The rotating ring 1 7, provided with types and passing' through the stationary die beneath the plunger, substantially asset fort-h, i`or the' 4 purpose specified.

STEPHEN B. BEAGUE. WM. s. STARE.'

'Witnesses J. W. GooMBs, A. LE CLERC. 

